Safety toy torpedo



Feb. 16, 1932. 6. J. J. CLARK ET AL 1,845,397

SAFETY TOY TORPEDO Filed July 9, 1930 \nvenTors.

George 11.0mm EvnesT B.Jones ATTvs.

Patented Feb. 16, I932 warren stares rarest-easier GEORGE J'. J. CLARK, OF WHITMAN, AND ERNEST B. JONES, OF SOUTH WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO NATIONAL FIREVTORKS, INCL, OF WEST HANOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS SAFETY TOY TORPEDO Application filed July 9, 1930. Serial No. 466,666.

This invention relates to improvements in toy torpedoes and the object thereof is to pro vide a toy torpedo which can be safely exploded by children without danger of injury to the child.

Torpedoes have been usually made by enclosing a cap, or a confined explosive mixture in a tissue paper covering containing gravel, stones, the friction and impact of the torpedo when thrown against the ground, or some other solid object, causing the explosion of the cap or composition. In such torpedoes stones heavy enough and sharp enough to explode or detonate the cap, or explosive composition, are required, and the force of the explosion is necessarily such as to throw these stones a considerable distance frequently injuring the children who use them.

Other torpedoes have comprised a casing of clay, such as brick clay or pipe clay, provided centrally with a cavity which usually is formed by producing an aperture extending to orbeyond the center of the casing while in a plastic state before the baking of the clay and after the explosive composition is introduced filling the aperture with a plug. In such torpedoes it has always been necessary that the body of the torpedo should be strong enough so that the burning of the explosive would produce a suiiicient-ly high pressure to rupture the body. The body or casing of such torpedoes is then broken into relatively large pieces which are projected to. a considerable distance by the explosion and are in fact even more dangerous than the older forms of torpedoes above described.

Another type of torpedo is in the nature of a miniature bomb made with a strong ,outside case, gravel in the center, and a com.- position in .powdered form comprising chlorate of potash and antimony and perhaps a little sulphur. This was called a safety torpedo because it was necessary to throw it much harder to explode it, but when once exploded it projected the gravel so forcefully that the Interstate Commerce Commission regulated the amount of composition that could be used with the view to minimizing the dangerof injury to the child.

The object of the present invention is to provide a torpedo which will produce a maximum amount of noise upon detonation and which will avoid projection of fragments of material of suiiicient size to injure the child. This is accomplished in the present invention by providing a toy torpedo comprising a small amount of explosive material, but sufficient in quantity to make a loud detonation, closely enclosed in a relatively thick body of finely divided material, such as sand, so agglutinated as to be capable of transmitting a detonating pressure to the explosive composition upon impact, but which will be completely pulver zed by the forces of impact and explosion. I

More specifically the object of the invention is to provide a body or casing for the explosive composition of the torpedo which is composed of finely divided material, such as sand, agglutinated by an adhesive of such strength as to hold the particles of sand together, with sufficient adhesion to enable the torpedoes to be transported and thrown in the usual manner against a solid object, but of such light tenacity that upon striking the object suiiicient pressure will be transmitted through the agglutinated sand to the explosive composition to detonate it, while the force of impact and the force of the explosion will completely disintegrate and pulverize the body of the torpedo.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a torpedo of this character constructed in complementary, preferably hemispherical, sections having a central cavity containing the explosive composition.

These and other objects and features of the inventionwill more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a diametrical sectional view of a spherical torpedo embodying the invention formed of complementary assembled hemispheres;

Fig. 2 is a plan. View of the diametrical face of one of the hemispherical sections;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the diametrical ill relatively hard mass.

face of the other hemispherical section; and,

Fig. 4 is a view graphically illustrating the explosive effect of the torpedo and showing a considerable amount of the finely divided material composing the body of the torpedo explosive composition, thereby detonating the same, while the agglutination is of such character that the conjoint action of the forces of impact and of explosion will completely pulverize the body, so that only fine sand is projected by the exploding composition and a considerable amount of the finely divided material will be deposited at or in proximity to the point or area of impact.

In the preferred constructlon illustrated the torpedo comprises complementary sections 1 and 2 which preferably, but not necessarily, are of hemispherical form, assembled together, and provided with central cavities containing a suitable explosive composition,

' i such, for example, as a mixture of sulphur and antimony, and chlorate of-potash, or a silver or copper fulminate composition, the amount of material contained in the cavity being sufficient to produce a loud detonation or report, but not of sufficient strength to produce a dangerous explosion,

The body of the compositionpreferably comprises fine sand, the particles of which are held together by an adhesive sufiic'iently 2 strong to provide a solid body, but of such light tenacity as to permit the body to be completely pulverized by the forces of impact and explosion. I

Sand desirably is employedbecause its specific gravity is such as to give sufiicient weight to the torpedo to enable the momentum of the torpedo, when thrown by a child against the pavement or a solid object, to produce ample force to detonate the explosivemixture.

In the preferred construction each of the hemispheres 1 and 2 is composed of fine coresand mixed with an adhesive lubricant, such. as the core oil used in foundries, linseed oil, or thelike, and thereafter baked to form a The hemispherical section 1 is provided with a central circular recess 3 and the complementary section 2 is provided with a rib i which fits closely into the recess in the section 1. Preferably the rib 4 is provided with a central cavity 5 to receive the explosive composition 6.

In the manufacture of the torpedo the sectionsl and 2 are constructed separately. The explosive composition is then introduced into the cavity 5 of the section 2; a suitable adhe- These torpedoes preferably are not enclosed 1n any fibrous, or other, casing, as the body of thetorpedo is of sufiicient strength and rlgldlty to permlt its transportation and handling.

In use, the torpedo is projected in the usual manner against the pavement,- or some other solid object. Upon impact suflicient pressure is transmitted through the body of the torpedo from the point of impact to the explosive composition to detonate it, and the force of impact together with the force of explosion will serve completely to break the light adhesion between the particles of sand produced'by the agglutinant so that the body of the torpedo will be completely pulverized.

It is found in practice that where the torpedo is thrown upon the pavement. a considerable amount of the sand 9, forming the body of the-torpedo, will be deposited as a mound at or in close proximity to. the point or area of impact, as illustrated in Fig. 4, thus demonstrating the fact that the sand is not projected with any considerable force from the source of the explosion, probably by reason of the fact that the force of the exv panding gases, produced by the explosion, is expended mainly in the disintegration of the body of the torpedo, and further causes the fine particles of sand thus disintegrated to present such small areas that the force of expandinggases acting upon them is reduced to a minimum. V

It will be understood that while the toy torpedo particularly described above'is preferred, such torpedoes may be made of spheroidal, oblong, cylindrical, or other form; that while core-sand has been specifically described as the preferred material for the body of the torpedo, because of its weight which aids in producing sulficient momentum to in,- sure proper detonation of the explosive material, other suitable materials may be employed,'and that any suitable explosive mixture or composition may be employed within the meaning and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired tobe secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A toy torpedo comprising a small amount of explosive composition closely on closed centrally in a spherical body of fine sand so agglutinated as to transmit a detonating pressure to said explosive composition upon impact, but capable of being completely pulverized by the forces of impact and explosion.

2. A toy torpedo comprising a small amount of explosive composition closely enclosed in a solid body of fine core sand so agglutinated by an oleaginous adhesive as to transmit a detonating pressure to said explosive composition upon impact, but capable of being completely pulverized by the forces of impact and explosion.

3. A toy torpedo comprising a solid body formed of assembled complementary, substantially hemispherical, sections composed of baked core-sand containing an oleaginous adhesive and having a central cavity containing a small amount or" explosive detonable by the forces of impact of said torpedo and operable in conjunction with said forces of impact completely to pulverize said body.

4:. A toy torpedo comprising a. solid body formed of assembled complementary sections composed of baked sand containing an oleaginous adhesive, the contacting faces of one of said sections containing a shallow central recess, and the other a complementary rib fitting therein provided with a central cavity, and a small amount of explosive composition in said cavity operable in conjunction with the force of impact completely to pulverize said body.

5. A toy torpedo comprising a spherical body formed of assembled, substantially hemispherical, sections composed of baked coresand containing an oleaginous adhesive, one of said sections containing a shallow recess, and the other an annular rib fitting therein and providing a central cavity, and a small amount of explosive composition in said cavity detonable by the force of impact of said torpedo and operable in conjunction with said force of impact completely to pulverize said body.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

GEORGE J. J. CLARK. ERNEST B. JONES. 

